Coercive Control Self-Screener
Massachusetts added coercive control to the legal definition of abuse on September 18, 2024. This walks you through the statute's own categories so you can see whether the language describes what you are living with.
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The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-799-7233 (TTY: 1-800-787-3224). SafeLink Massachusetts is available at 877-785-2020.
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Before you start
How to read this
This is not a test and there is no score. For every answer you mark yes, it will show you the exact statutory category that language falls under. It cannot tell you whether a court would grant an order, because that depends on evidence and on facts no web page can see. What it can do is give you the words the law uses.
You can leave any question blank. Answer only what you want to.
If you would rather just read
Related reading
You do not have to answer anything to get the information. These cover the same ground in plain language.
- Coercive Control Is Now Abuse Under Massachusetts 209AThe nine statutory examples, the separate single-act route, and what the September 18, 2024 change actually did.
- Leaving a Marriage When Domestic Violence Is InvolvedHow to obtain a 209A order, what an order can require, and how abuse affects custody.
Part 1 of 2
A pattern of behavior over time
Coercive control is defined as a pattern of behavior intended to threaten, intimidate, harass, isolate, control, coerce, or compel compliance of a family or household member. The statute gives nine examples. That list is expressly non-exhaustive, so conduct that is not named here can still count.
Part 2 of 2
A single act, even without a pattern
Coercive control does not always require a pattern. The statute separately recognizes three things that can qualify on their own, as a single incident. Please answer this part even if you answered no to everything above.